Beautiful Destruction
by jadedgoddess
Summary: Edward left when Bella needed him the most. When suddenly she becomes a part of the world of fairy tales and monsters in a way that no one could have predicted. The pain and loneliness and destruction. Can he help her find a way back?
1. Chapter 1

The darkness enveloped me as I felt myself giving up and giving in. My mind as well as my body was exhausted. His words continued to echo through my brain, torturing me. They still didn't fit, didn't make sense. I knew it was true but how could I accept it? He had to love me, because without him I was nothing. Id built my world around him and now it was all crumbling, crashing down around me. There I lay broken and bleeding repeating to myself _**"it's not over, it's not right"**_. But it was. It was right and true and real.

(Let Me Die)

The silence was deafening, maddening. Somewhere along the way I had lost all sense of time. I vaguely heard him say my name, but it wasn't the right voice. I felt my body being lifted, carried. I heard Charlie but I couldn't listen. _**"It's not right, it's not right".**_ Then there was nothing.

The hours turned into days, then into weeks and the weeks into months. I was there in the world, living and yet not. I was barley existing. Then the changes started, slowly at first. Suddenly I couldn't ignore it anymore. I was something. Something more, something evil and frightening….but what? I could feel the hate flowing through my body, coursing through my veins blackening everything it touched. The face in the mirror staring back at me, I no longer recognized.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Beginning**

**Chapter 1**

It all happened shortly after my tragic 18th birthday. I began to feel stronger, and suddenly my world was flipped upside down when he deserted me. It took months for me to open my eyes to what was happening. My strength slowly building, my senses heightened, and my head cleared. Then she called to me.

"_**Isabella."**_ She sang.

Her voice was so soft and sweet. I couldn't resist. I lost myself in that tender voice.

"_**Isabella."**_ She sang.

I found myself in a meadow, our meadow. She stood before me so beautiful and pale. Her skin snow white and her eyes brilliant green. Her hair was red like fire, the flames dancing around her face. I wasn't afraid.

"_**Come to me Isabella."**_ She sang.

I did. Her pale blue gown was billowing in the breeze. Her hands reached out to me and as I grasped them she spoke again.

"_**Isabella, you are magnificent. You are beautiful. **_

_**You cannot see what I see, but you will."**_ She whispered.

"_**Please."**_ I heard my voice before I realized I had spoken. I was pleading with her. But I had no idea why.

"_**Isabella. We are one. We are born of the light. **_

_**We are bound by our loyalty. The same blood**_

_**That flows through your veins, flows through **_

_**mine. Isabella. Feel it. See it. Look at me."**_ She sang.

I raised my eyes and it was then I realized that something was terribly wrong.

"_**See it."**_ She sang.

My eyes lowered slowly and I saw that her feet weren't touching the ground. She was floating.

"_**See me!"**_ She hissed

Suddenly my head snapped back and my hands began to burn. The flames no longer dancing merely around her face, they were all around us. Burning. Torturing. My entire body was engulfed. I heard her laugh from somewhere in the fire, and suddenly the images began to flood my mind. The words… (_**witch**_)…The flames and the darkness… (_**witch**_)…The hate and the love… (_**witch**_)…I could only see the white, the power… (_**witch**_)…and suddenly she released me.

I felt like I would never stop falling. I heard her voice calling down to me.

"_**Isabella, you are the one. The one to end it all. **_

_**You hold the strength inside you. Learn yourself.**_

_**See yourself." **_She whispered.

I felt myself still falling, the pain nearly unbearable. I screamed through the nothingness that surrounded me.

"_**Isabella"**_ she tsked "_**it's a small price to pay**_

_**for immortality."**_ She laughed. Her voice was fading.

"_**Please,"**_ I begged _**"Tell me please, what I am? What power?"**_ I cried as the pain began to dull.

"_**Isabella."**_ She scolded. _**"You weren't listening."**_

Her voice was now merely a whisper in a dream. _**"Please I was! Please?"**_ I begged once more. _**"What am I?"**_ The quiet laughter grew louder and louder. _**"Please let me open my eyes."**_ I pleaded. The laughter continued to increase in volume until I feared my ears would bleed.

"_**They are open dear."**_ She mocked.

Her voice was so sweet it nearly made me ill, but the laughing had stopped. I whimpered _**"Please,"**_ my voice was so weak _**"Please I'm begging you. Please tell me what I am."**_ Suddenly the white exploded and my sight returned. Her face was mere inches from my own. Her eyes blazed, her face twisted in rage.

"_**WITCH!"**_ She screamed, her voice dripping with malice.

Everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to the Fairytale**

**Chapter 2**

To live in the world of fairytale creatures is surreal, but to find out that you are one of them… well now that's just down right astonishing. To find out that I truly belonged there, the realization that I had a purpose was exalting. As a child I had never truly believed in monsters or werewolves or vampires or witches, but now well…they were all real. I was the latter. A witch. I was powerful, graceful, and immortal. So many things in my life had never made sense to me, but now the pieces were all falling into place. To know that I had been drawn to this world, not by chance but by destiny. There was so much to be considered now. I had to be so careful, I had no idea how to control my gifts, or even what my gifts were. On this one point I found that I understood his hesitation. I avoided human contact at all costs, though for me blending physically was not a problem. I had returned home that night not even recalling the trip. When I looked into the mirror I expected to see the monster that the story books had warned me about but I should have known better. They got it all wrong. I was beautiful. I could stand beside anyone, even Rosalie and feel confident. My features were more defined and my body was leaner. The awkwardness that accompanied me for 18 years was long forgotten. Though it seemed that no one else noticed anything different in my appearance, they kept their distance all the same. Charlie tried to talk to me but I couldn't find the words to tell him what he wanted or needed to hear. I wasn't bound by any of their rules. There was no werewolf warning, no vampire's laws to abide by. I assume I could tell anyone I saw fit to tell, I just had no desire to, my father least of all. I spent much time on my own in the woods behind the house testing myself, but I hadn't the slightest clue what to test myself for. It wasn't until I got very angry one day that any of my gifts truly presented themselves.

I was sitting on a log off the path near my house, when it hit me. This is where he did it. This is where he ripped my heart out and tore it to pieces. This is where he told me he didn't want me, didn't love me. This is where he told me I didn't belong in his world. Ha. Little did he know how very wrong he was. Had he waited only a few months he would have seen what I would become. He would have seen that I wasn't as out of place as he seemed to think. Suddenly the wind picked up, it began to bend the trees around me. I had no idea I was the one causing it until I felt the power. At first I thought it was merely the anger…but it was more than that. It was as if I knew I could make it stop, I knew I could control it. So I did. I made it stop. It was exhilarating. A few weeks later, I was in my room looking at the window, the one he used to climb in my room each night to watch me sleep and I wanted to break it. I ran across the room but didn't realize how fast I was moving until I crashed through it, and felt myself falling. Of course my luck would be that witches don't really fly. I hit the ground with a thud and waited for the pain but it didn't come. I checked myself over and over again but never found a mark. There were no cuts from the glass, no bruises or broken bones from the fall. Nothing. Amazing. Breakable, bruisable, bleeding Bella is suddenly considerably sturdy. This thought made me smile, until I realized that being unbreakable was no longer an issue.

More of my gifts presented themselves over the weeks that followed. I strayed away from the pack as I started to realize that I seemed to feed off their aggression. Paul was particularly volatile and seemed to bring out the worst in me. I wasn't quite prepared to tell Jake though so I couldn't explain my anger, and it was easier to just stay away. Would he understand? Would he accept me as I had accepted him, or would there be some new werewolf law that prohibited wolves from being friends with witches? Knowing my luck, there would and I couldn't afford to lose the one friend I had left. So I just kept it to myself. I spoke to him on the phone as much as I could and welcomed him to the house which was decidedly neutral territory. He never seemed to invoke negative emotions in me, so being with him was easy. We would talk, but never about him. That brought about feelings I couldn't control, and I couldn't risk hurting Jake by accident. It's quite amusing if you think about it, for once I was the one who had to be careful with him. I spent as much time with him as I could outside the world. I had to keep in mind however, that I was dangerous and had no idea what I was capable of. The days passed quickly, the nights even faster. I hoped in vain that he could see what I so desperately needed him to see. But it didn't happen. I knew that eventually I would have to tell him what I was, but that day was not today.


	4. Chapter 4

**Telling Jake**

**Chapter 3**

I knew the silence couldnt last, I knew that I couldnt hold it in anymore. It only took a few weeks before I decided that i needed to tell him. I knew that he would understand he had to, after all they did belong in the same world, the same stories. I was tired of running from what I was, from my best friend. I sat up all night convincing myself that it was the right thing to do, he deserved to know. But how?

"_So Jake guess what! Not all witches wear funny hats and ride brooms!" _No, that wasn't right. I had to think this through. I decided the best place to tell him was at the beach where he first told me about the Cullens and the Quilutes. It was the perfect setting, all I had to do was find the right was to explain it.

"_Bells, I think you need help. Lets go talk to my dad, I'm sure he can help you." _Jake smiled while he insulted me. He was trying to reassure me, to show me his support but the damage had already been done.

He didn't believe me. The one person in the world I **knew** would be there for me had just basically laughed in my face. The hurt and anger I had been holding inside for so long had finally reached its boiling point, and I did the only thing I could do. I ran.

I ran all the way home. I knew Charlie wouldn't let me go without a fight. Not as long as he lived…or I lived. There was my answer. I concentrated as hard as I could, staring into the mirror above my dresser.

"_Bella's dead, Bella's dead, Bella's dead", _I chanted, getting louder with each word.

Outside my window the trees started to sway and bend with the force of the wind, the angry thunder was deafening.

"_Bella's dead, Bella's dead, Bella's dead!"_

The flash of lightening in the darkened shy was blinding, and in that moment Bella Swan died. To Charlie, To Renae, to the world, she was dead, or so I thought.

The funeral was lovely. I watched from the tree line as my parents and friends wept. They mourned my death and all I could do was laugh. My life was the sad part, not my death. My life had been so full of pain and loss, that my death finally brought peace to Bella Swan. Peace that she deserved. I was so lost in my own self pity that I never heard him approach.

"_Bella, what have you done?" _

I turned, and stood face to face with Jacob Black. In that moment I realized that he was no longer "my" Jake, my friend. "My" Jake had died in that bedroom right along side Bella.

"_I ended it." _I whispered and with those three words I disappeared.

So many thoughts ran through my mind, "why hadn't it worked on him?" and "maybe I can't control the werewolves?" However, none of it mattered. In that moment I realized that whether he knew or not he couldn't say anything, not without outing himself. I was safe. I would run and no one would ever find me. I was leaving it all behind.

Today was the beginning.


	5. Chapter 5

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

AUTHORS NOTE*THIS STORY FOLLOWS THE PATH STARTED IN NEW MOON, BUT TAKES A TURN FOR THE…WELL YOU WILL SEE. JUST KEEP IN MIND ALL EVENTS TAKE PLACE AFTER EDWARD LEFT BELLA IN THE WOODS THANKS!*

**Just a Ghost**

**Chapter 4**

The time seemed to pass much too quickly for me. When I ran I left everything behind. I had nothing. It took me a few weeks to sort through my jumbled thoughts but suddenly I realized what I needed to do, I had to get a job and start over. I couldn't let "him" win. He didn't think I was worth it, and I would prove him wrong if it took everyday of forever.

Starting out wasn't easy though. I knew I needed a job but couldn't exactly interview for any seeing as I looked like a homeless person. My clothing was tattered, my hair dirty and unkempt. So I did the only thing I could…I stole what I needed some nice clothes, shampoo, and a brush. It was a start.

After I felt somewhat human again, I decided to look at the paper for job openings. Thumbing through there wasn't much, but right as I was about to give up and throw the useless thing, I saw it. **"Wanted: Clerk for small book store. Salary to be discussed, room and board included. " **This was what I had been looking for, exactly what I needed to pass the time and make a little money in the process.

The book store was very small and homey. I opened the door slowly scanning the interior, my eyes finally landing on the elderly man sitting behind the counter. _"Hello young lady what can I do for you today?" _his smile was so genuine and gentle. I used one of my gifts, reaching into his mind and found he was truly a good man.

"_Hello sir, I saw your ad in the newspaper. I've recently moved here and am finding it a bit difficult to get on my feet. I have no family, and no money. Your store is beautiful. It's very quiet, very peaceful. I will work very hard for you if you give me a chance…." _I found myself rambling. I couldn't believe it was this hard. I felt my shoulders slump slightly in defeat and turned to leave.

"_Please wait Miss! Where are you going?" _there was a smile in his voice that I had to turn to see.

"_Yes sir?" _I was more confused in that moment than I had ever been before. I looked at his face searching for some sign, but all I found there was a very friendly smile that made his whole face brighten.

"_I'm a fan of honesty young lady. I've been running this place on my own for thirty years. I feel its time to let someone else do the dirty work. The room is upstairs, has a small bathroom and kitchen in it. The store opens at 8 am and closes at 8 pm. Orders are placed on Tuesdays and Thursdays unless there is a special request. I will drop by every night at 8pm to pick up the money for deposit, otherwise you will only see me on pay day. I'm easily reached by phone at any time of the day if there are any problems. Now that I've said all I have to say there is one thing I need to know." _He was smiling throughout his speech and I found myself wanting to smile with him.

"_What would that be sir?" _I asked.

"_Would you mind telling me your name? It would seem much less rude and impersonal if I could address you properly."_ He had made his was around the counter and was standing before me now.

"_Marie."_ I didn't want to lie to the man and this was technically not a lie. He raised his hand and took mine in a friendly handshake.

"_Good to meet you Marie, I'm Gus. Welcome to the family." _

And with those words I knew that there was a chance. In that moment I had no doubts, I knew that I could do this.


	6. Chapter 6

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

Authors Note*Sorry last chapter was kinda sloppy but I will try to put more info into each from now on and spend more time editing! Thanks for reading!*

"**Back to Good"**

**Chapter 5**

For the first time in a very long time I felt alive and happy. From the moment I stepped into the shop I felt at home, I felt calm and comfortable. Gus was such an amazing man. He spent more time with me than he had previously implied, but I had grown to understand that he was very lonely. His wife Lucy of forty years had passed only months before I came. They had no children so her death had left him utterly alone, and that was a feeling I greatly understood. We would spend hours discussing books, while I stocked the shelves or cleaned. Gus never asked too many questions, he never pushed me to talk about my past and for that I respected him. I in turn promised myself that I would not lie to him, and I never did.

The room upstairs wasn't much but it was cozy. A twin sized bed sat by one wall, a love seat on the other with a window in the middle. There was a tiny kitchen area right as you entered with a refrigerator, oven, microwave and sink. There was one door that sat near the arm of the loveseat leading into the tiny bathroom that housed a pedestal sink, a toilet, and an old claw foot tub. The entire "apartment" had been painted fairly recently so it was very bright and cheery. I didn't need much and it was clean so there were no complaints on my end.

The shop was named after Gus's late wife, it was called "Lucy's Treasures". He told me how his wife had been a very avid reader, and fan of history. Her love of the past is what had led him to open the shop in the first place. He had separate shelves dedicated to separate regions, and adored sharing it with people. I had asked him once if it made him sad to sell his wife's favorite books and he merely said to me _"Marie, as long as someone takes this book and gives it a good home it will continue to live. A book is not anything if there is no one to read it and Lucy would have hated for them to sit in a storage building somewhere collecting dust when they could be out there educating the world." _I had seen the single tear that ran down his cheek and felt my chest tighten a bit knowing that this man had found a way to go on living after losing the love of his life by sharing her love with the world. He was honoring her memory with every book he sold.

I spent my days with Gus and my nights reading. The years passed by quickly, far too quickly and soon Gus stopped coming in during the day. He had simply told me that he wasn't as "young" as he used to be, but I knew there was more to it than that. I could smell the disease killing him slowly from the inside out, and all I could do was smile and treat him as normal as possible. Soon he had to add my name to the business account so I could handle the deposits on my own, and our contact was limited to short conversations over the telephone every couple of days. It was heartbreaking watching him wither away and yet it hurt so much more knowing that he wouldn't see me. I waited for the call that I dreaded so much and soon enough it came.

"_Lucy's Treasures this is Marie speaking" _but I didn't hear a word she said, because I already knew. Gus had a nurse that came out everyday to check in on him, bathe him, anything that he needed. She had shown up at eight o clock sharp to find him peaceful in his bed having passed sometime throughout the night. It tore me up inside to know that he had been alone in his final hours. A few days after being informed of his death a woman appeared at the shop in a very fancy, very expensive suit to explain to me how Gus had already planned and paid for "departure" as she worded it. She handed me a plain black urn and a very large manila envelope with a business card attached to the front and left me with a friendly reminder to _"Call if you have any questions."_

The urn had a single white slip of paper (with his name and date of death typed neatly) taped to it, and the envelope had two words scribbled in his messy script **"Dearest Marie". **I held the urn close to my chest as I made my way to the door and flipped the sign from open to closed, then made my way up the tiny staircase to my apartment. Once inside I sat the remains of my dear friend Gus on the coffee table we had purchased to _"snazz"_ up the place and removing my shoes sat Indian style on the loveseat trying to prepare myself for whatever was inside the envelope I held in my hand. The sun faded in the sky, and there I still sat not moving. I'm not sure how long it took me, but by the time I had gathered the courage to open it the sun was once again shining brightly through the tiny window, warming me, giving me the strength to read the words written upon the pages I held in my hands.

"**Dearest Marie,**

**If you are reading this than I am no longer with you. I would apologize for this however I am not sorry because this means that I am once again with my beloved and we are sitting together watching over and protecting you. The last 26 years that we have spent together have been wonderful. You are the daughter that we never had. So smart and strong with a love for knowledge that I have only seen rivaled once and we both know who I mean. It makes me very happy to know that you will be there to carry on where I left off. Now I know that you will protest but I really don't care because there ain't a thing that you can do about it (I know you're smiling) but I have left the shop and all my assets to you. There is the business account, my personal account and my life insurance policies which are included with this letter so you shouldn't want for much. Share your gift, OUR gift with the world. Do well and above all else be happy. I knew the moment I set eyes on you that you were different. I was very blessed to have been able to know you, even though I'm not so much a fool that I truly believe that I knew you. There is pain in there and believe me that it will get better. Stay strong and have faith. Now get back to work! (And enjoy your life sweetheart)**

**With Love,**

**Gus Whistle"**

I didn't know what to do so I did the only thing I could, I sat there and mourned the loss of my friend.


	7. Chapter 7

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"Life Goes On"

Chapter 6

After Gus was gone time went by much slower without someone to share my life with, and yet even faster than before. I wanted to do as he had asked, I wanted to pick up where he left off and honor both he and his wifes' memory. It seemed there was much more insurance money than I had expected, and therefore my plans came into realization much quicker and easier. Lucy's Treasures remained intact, the first in a chain of book stores that I planned to build across the country.

It took me nearly 10 years to pull myself from the small book store that had come to be my home, but thankfully my "ability" allowed me to go unnoticed. I could alter people perceptions, of me, of their surroundings, and even their memories. Even though I remain unchanged, to their eyes I had aged as they had. To them I was just another human getting older and growing tired of the life I was living. I found people that I could trust to run the store and left my memories with them to keep safe.

I soon found the perfect place for my second store and with the money Gus had left me and the money I received for selling the house, my dream became a reality very quickly. I took great care and joy in building and stocking each store and before I knew it there was four including Lucy's up and running smoothly all over the world. I never renamed Gus's shop but decided to name the rest "Bells and Whistles Books"; I thought it was a happy tribute to two of the men who had been my family.

My father Charlie had passed away almost 5 years ago now. I hadn't found out until after the funeral so I didn't get a chance to say good bye. The paper said it was an accident at his home, only no more details were released other than that there was no foul play suspected, and it had been very quick. It made my heart ache a little less knowing that in his death he hadn't suffered. My mother whose name I was currently using, had passed only a year prior. She and Phil had been in a car accident and had both died on impact. I did make it to their funerals however and they were lovely. I said my farewells and then decided that as a type of memorial to them both I built a B&W right near the accident site, of course no one would know it was me but it felt good to be able to leave a piece of myself with them.

Everything was running quite smoothly for me and I was feeling quite content once again. With stores in four states, and all the proceeds one way or another making it into my personal accounts I was free to explore. It was during my travels to find a home for the next B&W that the pain started. It was weak at first in the pit of my stomach almost like a hunger pain, but increased gradually until it was almost unbearable. I found that running eased my pain but not completely. I could hear these strange thoughts running through my mind, they seemed so familiar yet so different, I knew I should recognize them and yet I could not. They became more insistent until I couldn't ignore them anymore and relented to find the source. I could feel the closer I got, the louder the thoughts, the stronger the pain. It was torture but I knew I couldn't go on anymore without knowing where it was coming from, the desperation the pain, the anger.

It was then that I saw him…a vampire. There was no mistaking it. His skin so prefect, his hair was brown and a bit shaggy hanging into his eyes….his eyes which burned blood red at me. His growls pierced through the silence of the night, pushing me back and away from him. That was until I heard her, whimpering and frightened huddled against the tree before him. I turned my head slightly to see her and opened my mind to her thoughts, drowning out his incoherent screams. She was very young and beautiful and terrified. The anger took over my body and before I realized what I was doing I had attacked him. The oddest part was there was no fear in me, only aggression. He slammed me into a tree with so much force that it broke in half but I clung to him, trying to get a hold of his head properly…_"rip him apart and burn the pieces" _it kept repeating over and over again in my brain. That's what I did, I removed his head first with one swift pull, then the rest came much easier and in less than 10 minutes the only thing left of the wretched monster was a cloud of sweet dark smoke.

I turned back to the girl soothing her…

"_Its alright Amanda, you were walking in the woods and tripped over that fallen tree over there", _I said as I pointed to the one that shaggy and I had destroyed "_you scrapped your knee and that's when I found you, and now I'm going to take you home dear." _I used my best mother voice and she seemed to calm instantly to my touch and words. It was only after I dropped her in front of her home that I realized the pain had stopped. Was it the evil that I sensed? Was that what caused the pain I felt?

I drove to the nearest hotel on auto pilot, renting a room, and making my way to it without a thought at all. Before I realized, I was sitting in the dark, in the middle of a cheap room, with tattered drapes and an ancient television.

What did this mean? Was there a reason for what Id become? Was there more to it that Id thought? In the back of my mind, I heard her laughter, starting quiet and getting unbearably louder by the second, and then it suddenly hit me and the world went quiet….

"_The one to end it all"_

My world went black.


	8. Chapter 8

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"A Life Worth Living?"

Chapter 7

The days following my epiphany were long and confusing. I spent hours at a time running everything she said over and over in my head, and still most of **this** made no sense. What is it exactly that I'm supposed to end? After I had finished with Shaggy, I had felt more powerful than I knew was possible. True, I had spent very little time working on my powers since meeting Gus, but now they seemed stronger. I was suddenly more in control and very much aware of the evil that surrounded me. It was everywhere, even the damn bellboy seemed to have murder on the brain. It was all too distracting, I needed to get away, to clear my head. It seemed that the fates had other plans for me however.

As I left the hotel with every intention of running, I felt it again, the intense pain from before. Only this time I knew exactly what it was and where it was coming from. I did not hesitate this time, within seconds I was crouched behind the flaxen haired goddess, prepared to attack. The poor man standing before her was so confused, and … aroused? Ugh, men. I will never understand them. _Focus_, I reminded myself. Her nostrils flared at me, and she let out a low growl trying to show me that this was hers, how very wrong she was. I leapt at her as quickly as I could, with more grace and precision than I would have thought myself possible. I pinned her quickly to the ground and yanked her head from her perfect body before making quick work of the rest of her. I set the fire and added her to the flames. It was truly beautiful. I was admiring my work when…the man's confusion snapped me back to the present. I repeated my activities of the previous day with Amanda and after I had reassured and dropped him at home I began to run over the events meticulously. I had made many mistakes, however I had already improved from shaggy to Blondie. I had a purpose, and I would serve it well, I just needed practice.

And practice I did. It took very little time for me to perfect my attack. Their "_victim_s" **no** longer saw me, they usually weren't even aware that they were in any danger as I could sense the vamps intentions to attack before they had a chance. Most of the monsters died without ever seeing my face, or hearing my approach thanks to my favorite ability yet, my invisibility. It was invigorating. The power I held within me was intoxicating. To keep myself grounded I continued with my normal life as much as possible, working from store to store, and opening when I found a place that suited me. Bells and Whistles was officially one of the largest, most popular book stores in the country. We were located all over and we were making a great deal of money. It was so wonderful to have a reason to carry on that was **mine**, and I was finally living again.

Time was no longer a concern of mine, after 20 years I lost track. I spent most of my time hunting for monsters to destroy, and trying to find information about my ancestors. I searched for quite some time before I got lucky and found the answers I so desperately needed in the most unlikely place.

The old vamp seemed to pose no threat, even from this far I could see that he was danger to me or the humans. It was quite odd to find one that seemed so incapable of evil. His soul was quite pure (too bad **HE** wasn't here, I could tell him that I knew for sure that he had a soul, but that debate was no longer mine). I had been traveling for days when I felt a familiar pull, but there wasn't any of the pain. I was so intrigued that I felt myself drawn to the mysterious feeling. As I approached, he held both hands up as if in surrender and spoke very quietly "_I am not one of them Miss, please do not hurt me."_

Curious, this "man" seemed to be aware of my capabilities and yet had not even looked my way. I continued my slow approach, and I saw his body tense even more. _How does he know I'm here? _I wondered to myself. Id grown quite practiced in my hunting skills, I was never visible within 500 feet of my prey, and yet he seemed to sense me. I stopped myself merely 10 feet from him and waited for him to turn. His thoughts weren't frightened, they were interested. He was thinking that he hadn't seen one in over 200 years.

"_One what?" _I asked, letting my curiosity get the best of me. He turned slowly to face me with his hands still raised and arched an eyebrow in my direction.

"_Well surely dear you know what you are, I can feel you from here. You are well trained."_ His words were kind, as was his smile, however I wasn't ready to trust him yet so I stood my ground.

"_It is not my knowledge that has been questioned, I asked you what __**you **__know. Or should I just continue to pilfer through your mind until I find what I seek?"_ My voice had taken on an icy edge, I needed him to be aware that I was dangerous even though he didn't seem threatened by my presence.

"_Though it's not necessary, you may if you wish. I have no secrets Miss. I will tell you all that you want to know, though I will ask that you please show yourself? It is quite odd to talk to a shadow." _He remained very passive, turning his eyes to the ground waiting for my response. His request was simple, and I knew that I was stronger so I granted his request. His eyes shot up the second I was visible and his jaw went slack. This was the first time I had really looked at his eyes and they were so familiar…butterscotch! I stepped back trying to compose myself against the memories that suddenly flooded my brain at the sight of eyes so similar to those I loved so many lifetimes ago.

"_It's you!" _His voice shook as he spoke. _"I had no idea it was true. Please let's go somewhere more private, I have much to tell you."_

He turned and began making his way through the forest and I followed cautiously. Why had he been so surprised? And what did he mean it was me, of course it's me. I had more questions now than I did when I had first crossed his path. The walk was quite short and we were soon approaching a small cabin. I stopped as he entered, listening and feeling to see if we were alone. He soon stepped back onto the small porch and held his hand out to me. _"My name is Amos, and I assure you that there is no danger here, not for you."_ I stepped forward slowly but did not take his hand. I searched through his thoughts trying to find something there that would dissuade me from entering but saw only truth. He knew it all, and he wanted to tell me. I waved toward the door, indicating that he should enter first and as he did I took one last look around me. This was the moment I had waited for, the explanation that I had searched for and nothing would ever be the same. I closed my eyes took a deep unnecessary breath and walked through the door toward my future and more importantly my past.

*Lemme know what yall think, Ive decided to change it up a bit from what I had originally written. Any suggestions feel free to pm or just review!


	9. Chapter 9

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"Believe"

Chapter 8

The time seemed to go by slower than I ever remembered, while I waited for Amos to tell his story. He stood across what would be the living room from me staring out the filmy window. I noticed he held a pipe in his hand, idly turning it over and again.

"_I'm sure you have noticed that I am very old."_ He paused gauging my reaction, I merely nodded. _"I come from a time when things were very different, and I don't mean in the human world, though they were, I mean in __**our**__ world. You may have heard of my brother Aro?"_ I ran the name through my head trying to remember where Id heard it. _"My brother is the leader of the Volturi, which is the vampire equivalent of royalty in the human world."_ It hit me suddenly…Edwards description…the three brothers…_you do not provoke them unless you want to die._ Well hell! But what do they have to do with me? He seemed to sense the question in my eyes so he continued, and I settled into the old dusty chair to listen. _"My brother and I were very close. Unlike most in our world we were brothers from birth. About 15 years after he was changed, both our parents were killed in a boating accident leaving me on my own. Aro thought the only fair thing to do was to bring me into his life, now please do not misunderstand me, I am very thankful for what he did and I understood why he did it however I'm not sure that given another chance I would have made the same decision for myself. Life back then was much different. You see back then the witches and the vampires were very much alike. We worked together for the greater good of humanity. My brother would never admit it now but even he chose to abstain from taking human life back then."_ He sighed heavily. _"As I said we worked and lived together quite happily, that is until Aro, Cauis, and Marcus took over the rule of Volterra. Aro had a delusion of superiority and the witches were a constant problem to him when he decided to start killing without care. At first the problems were small, but they soon began getting worse. I chose to stay with a coven that we had been with for quite some time, you see I was in love with a witch. We were even married in our own way." _A sad smile played on his lips. _"We took our love and life very seriously. Aro was very embarrassed that his own flesh and blood was "__**sleeping with the enemy"**__ as he put it, but I did not care. I loved her. Aro soon decided that the only way to properly rule was to rid himself of any opposition. So he began effectively exterminating the witches, and any vampires who chose to side with them. He used the excuse that they were dangerous to us, that they could kill us therefore they should not be allowed to live. You must understand that back then even the vampires were very afraid of death. Now my Julia and I escaped. You see I knew what he was planning therefore we ran before the chaos started. I know you must think badly of me, but it wasn't just her life I wanted to save."_ He paused and glanced at me over his shoulder. I saw what he was going to say before he said it and stood so abruptly that I knocked my chair over and across the room.

"_You, and she…SHE WAS PREGNANT?" _I yelled at him. _"How is that possible?" _I stepped towards him needing more, needing answers.

"_Yes" _he sighed _"And as far as how, well, the same as any I suppose. You see vampires do not change therefore females cannot have children but males, well they are capable of reproduction, the problem is that most do not mate with a female who is also capable." _I rubbed my temples out of habit and growled at him to let him know just how thin my patience was wearing. _"So we fled. Aro was never aware of our child. I made sure of it. After she was born we began to think that life was going to get back to normal but one day when I was away, Aro sent his men to kill my wife. My Julia. Thankfully my Samantha was safe. I spent years protecting her, she seemed human, that is until shortly after her 18__th__ birthday. I'm sure you know what happened then."_ He smiled sadly at me. _"I did what I could to teach and protect her but her need to protect was much stronger than my love for her. It was what she was born to do, it was in her blood. She left me almost 10 years after she ascended and I never saw her again. I heard that she had married a human and had a child of her own. I never saw her child either, which I regret. I started to research as much as I could to understand her compulsion to punish. I soon found a very interesting legend telling of a vampire and witch whose love would bridge the gap between the races. A love so strong that they would not only stop my brother but bring peace to us all. For a great number of years I tried to convince myself that my Julia and I had been the ones, that we had just failed but now I believe that our love made it possible. I haven't seen a witch in more than a millennium. I thought they were all gone but now I see you and I feel something from you, and you look just like her. You look just like my Julia. It must mean something." _He stopped speaking and turned to face me directly.

The imaginary bile was rising in my throat. How could this be? Everything started to fall into place in my mind though I refused to acknowledge it. I was the one to end it all. My love with Edward, the love between a witch and a vampire. Oh god. But it was too late, he didn't love me! My head was spinning, how could fate screw this up so bad?

"_I thank you Amos for telling me your story but I'm afraid I can't save you. I did love a vampire and he loved me but that was a lifetime ago." _I hung my head in defeat, for the first time since my change I felt so defenseless and weak.

"_It's never too late for love dear." _He smiled a knowing smile.

APOV

"_Something is happening and I can't see clearly what it is." _Alice whispered to her family who sat in a circle around her. Jasper squeezed her hand.

"_Whatever it is, we will make it through this." _She felt the truth in his words. Her vision had shaken her to the core and Edward as well. He was still leaning against the wall across the room, staring at her questioningly. She arched an eyebrow at him and spoke through her thoughts _**So you saw her too**_ it wasn't a question. He nodded. Whatever it was it had something to do with Bella, and Alice had to figure out what.


	10. Chapter 10

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"Fill in the Blanks"

Chapter 9

***APOV***

_What does it mean?_ I looked toward Edward hoping he had some insight, hoping he had caught something that I had missed. He shook his head sadly, and closed his eyes as the vision began to play again.

_Bella stood in the middle of a clearing next to a very old vampire. Her skin was the same pale shade as before, her eyes the same brilliant brown, her hair the same mixture of red and brown. She was smiling at the man. It was very bright outside. There was a mountain behind them in the distance, and a river ran nearby. There was a sense of comfort in the vision. A familiarity. _

It always ended before I could see anything else. Edward exhaled deeply. I knew it was hard for him, and yet he seemed so peaceful each time he saw her. We had decided not to tell the rest of the family that Bella was involved until we knew what it meant, only Jasper, Edward and myself were aware and we were trying everything we could think of to figure it out. In my vision, she was very much human, but that was impossible. Bella had passed away many years ago. We had all visited her grave to pay our respects. There was no way that she could still be alive, and if she were she would have to either be like us or she would be the oldest living human in the history of the world, and in my vision she was neither. I growled out of frustration, and Jasper looked up from his computer screen with a questioning look.

"_Darlin I know this is hard. We have tried every angle. I've looked up the information on Bella's death including her death certificate. You say that you are sure this is in the future not something from the past?" _Jasper voice stayed calm as I felt myself losing control.

"_I'm not an idiot Jasper! I would know if it was a memory! It is the future. It's going to happen and there has to be something we missed. I feel like its going to happen very soon and we need to prepare ourselves." _I instantly felt bad knowing he was merely trying to help. But I didn't need to apologize, he could feel my remorse and just smiled at me.

"_We will figure it out Alice. None of it makes sense but there must be some explanation."_

Edward reassured me. He was right and I knew the most important part of his statement had been left unsaid. We had to do this not just for us but for Bella.

***BPOV***

"_Amos, I still don't understand." _I spoke to him while I watched the water flowing freely in the stream we stood near.

"_Well Isabella dear the only way I can figure it out is that you must be a descendant from our daughter Samantha. You must be one of my great granddaughters. It's the only thing that makes sense. I could feel you where you said no other vampire could correct?" _I nodded _"And you instantly knew I was no threat and yet were still drawn to me which has not happened before?" _Once again I nodded getting slightly annoyed. _"Well then it does make sense. I can only assume that we are family, blood. Now you said yourself that there was a vampire in your life before, one that you loved and that loved you. The prophecy states that it is a love between the two that will bring an end to the war. That may be why none before you ascended. Or maybe the gene is recessive and you were just born for it. I'm unsure. The only thing I do know is that I love you. I know that you are a part of me in some way. Please, I know this is very hard to accept but I will help you. There is much you need to know about the witches, about your powers. Yes you have the whole "slay the monsters" thing down but there is so much more to you. For instance are you aware that once you have been in contact with a vampire you can track them?" _Amos laughed when he looked at me as I sat there slack jawed staring at him. Once I had composed myself again he told me we needed to test it. So I sat on the bank with my legs crossed and he sat before me.

"_Now Isabella, I need you to focus for me. You say there is a family of vampires that you were very close to yes? Okay well pick one of them and close your eyes." _His voice was very soothing. I chose Alice of course. I did miss that little pixie. I closed my eyes and pictured her. Her laugh, her bouncy little self, and suddenly I could see her. I gasped, yanking myself away from Amos. _"What child? Did it work?" _I couldn't speak merely shook my head. _"Try again but this time hold the connection."_

I did as I was told and once again I could see her, sitting on a small couch looking at a newspaper. She seemed so sad. _"I can see her." _I whispered. _"Try to feel her and tell me where she is."_ I focused harder and I knew. _"Washington." _I stood quickly. _"She is in Forks, it's where we first met, where I grew up. But why would she be there?" _I felt my body temperature rising. This was so confusing.

"_Calm down child." _His tone wasn't condescending or mean_. _But was meant to comfort me and it did. _"Now there is some reason that you meant them, and that we crossed paths as well. Maybe we need to go talk to them. Maybe they can help us? Maybe it would do you some good to have people around you that you know and trust." _I wanted to argue but I knew he was right. I couldn't run any more. At that moment the sun rose above the trees and I could feel the warmth on my skin. I could feel the love that Amos had for me. He was all the family that I had and he was here with me forever. I couldn't help but smile up at him. This was it. I was returning to Forks and I had no idea what was waiting for me there. The only thing I knew was that I was not alone anymore.

*Reviews are wonderful! They inspire me!


	11. Chapter 11

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

***ok so I added a little more to this one. I thought it was about time that we heard a little something from Edward. Hope you enjoy!**

"What If"

Chapter 10

*EPOV*

I've spent so long wondering what would have happened had I never left Bella's side. Had I not lied to her in order to try to keep her safe…ah who am I trying to fool…I did it because I was terrified. I knew that she wanted to be with me, that forever for her would mean the same thing as it did for me. I knew that she would change and be mine forever but what if I wasn't enough? What if this life I had to offer her wasn't enough to keep her satisfied and happy? What if she resented me? Rosalie was content. She had found her mate in Emmett and that had helped her to accept this life but she wasn't truly happy. I know what I should have done. I should have stayed by her side as long as she would have allowed it. I should have kept her safe and watched her grow until she decided to move on with another, and then at least I would have had more. I would have gotten to see her graduate high school and go to college. I could have even gone with her again. I could have helped her study and given her everything that she needed to live a happy human life. I knew that I wanted more from her. I wanted her to take those steps into this life. I wanted to be able to touch her and kiss her without being afraid of breaking her. I wanted to marry her and God help me, make love to her. I knew that had I stayed I would have tried to force her into my life. I couldn't do that to her. Not to my Bella. After I left her, I left everything behind. My family, my things, my music, my heart. I was but a shell of the man she loved. I wallowed in my self pity and would wait to feed until I was on the verge of losing control. I would only allow myself rats and other tiny disgusting animals to feed from. I didn't deserve anything even close to enjoyment, not after the way I had ripped her heart out. The hardest part was that she had believed me! How could she have been so stupid? I mean to actually accept so quickly that I did not love or need her. It was truly insulting. Did she have so little faith in me and our love that she let it go so easily without a proper argument?

It was the day I was informed of Bella's death that I changed everything in my life. After I received the phone call, my phone had all but disintegrated in my hand with the force that I held it. I walked to the mirror in the dingy hotel room I was currently occupying and looked at my reflection. The ghost I saw before me was truly pitiful. I vowed that day to try to be more of the man that she loved, to try to be better, if for no one else for Bella. It was an insult to her memory for me to give up. It took nearly a year before my family and I were prepared to make that trip back to Forks. The drive seemed to take forever but we all knew that we owed it to her. We had to pay our respects to the girl who changed us all so drastically. The girl who showed us love, compassion, understanding and acceptance beyond anything we had ever encountered in all of our years combined.

Alice was heartbroken. Replaying all her memories of Bella over and over again always ending with the vision of Charlie weeping at Bella's memorial service saying goodbye to the daughter that he never understood. How wrong Charlie was. He understood Bella better than anyone. She was just like him. How I longed to be able to explain to him how very much she loved and respected him. I wanted to tell him how selfless his daughter was and thank him over and over again for bringing her into this world, it was truly a better place because of her. But I couldn't tell him any of this. The man hated me beyond words and I couldn't blame him.

Jasper was blaming himself repeating to himself how very sorry he was. Saying if only his control had been better we would have never left. Begging for forgiveness from both myself and Alice for taking someone so special from us. I tried to shake my head to reassure him, the choice had been mine to leave and he was not to blame, but he would hear none of it. Always the southern gentleman ready to take the blame of the entire world onto his own shoulders to save anyone pain. He was so caring and generous despite his hard upbringing into this life. Bella had taught him a lot as well. Ever since that night, he hadn't had an urge to slip again. He would recall the trust in Bella's eyes even as he was snarling and trying to kill her. He would recall the kind words she said afterwards to our father "_Tell Jasper I'm sorry and that it isn't his fault."_ He had taken that into himself and would never let it go.

Rosalie was sitting very still in the seat in front of us. Her head bowed reciting the Lords Prayer. When I cocked an eyebrow at her, she simply responded that A: I should mind my own business and B: that Bella's soul was far too pure to go anyplace but the heaven she so strongly believed in. She could only hope that by some miracle Bella would hear her and know that she was so very sorry for all the anger and jealousy that had been unnecessarily aimed at her. Rosalie was a very complex creature. She was not a fan of this life but I feel she would not have given up Emmett for all the children in the world. She adored Bella in all honesty. She wanted to be like her, so honest and open. So very unafraid of life. She was jealous of all the opportunity that she thought Bella was throwing away by choosing me and yet Rose had secretly hoped that we would be together so that Bella could be her true sister.

_I'm so sorry son. _Carlisle's thought brought me to the front of the SUV. I nodded slightly. _You realize that this would happen eventually. But I know is it hard for you to accept. Humans die. It is a terrible fact that we must all face. Bella will live on in our family though. She is as much a part of it as any of you and that shall never change. _His sad smile told me that had he the ability there would be a tear sliding down his cheek at this moment over his lost child.

Esme had taken her death the hardest and I couldn't bring myself to listen to her thoughts. They were broken by grief. A jumbled mass of memories of the first child she lost and the last. She had a hollow spot that no one could ever fill. She didn't blame any of us however easily she could have. She simply mourned the loss of a daughter who was like none before.

Emmett was the easiest to hear. He was thinking about all the blushes from Bella. How funny she had been, even unintentionally. I found it amazing that this man was hurting, I could feel it and yet all he could do was be thankful for the good times he had with her.

Once we arrived at the cemetery we each took our turn saying goodbye, I was last. But what could I say other than that I loved her, and nothing could change that. It seemed so inadequate. But I told her nonetheless that I was wrong and I was sorry. At that moment I hated that I could not cry. It seemed so unfair that humans could show their pain and I could not. I cursed this hard unchanging body of mine for not allowing me to grieve properly for my lost love, my mate. It was in that moment that I realized Bella had always been right. I had a soul and half of it was gone.

Charlie's death had been another shock for our family. Carlisle had been Charlie's physician for a number of years and had been notified at the time of his death. We returned to Forks only to find that no one seemed to really notice that he was gone. His house had fallen apart and we soon learned that he had retired shortly after Bella's death saying he didn't have it in him anymore. There was no money to bury him so I decided it was the least I could do. I paid for a beautiful headstone and funeral that I thought Bella would have approved of had she been here. The house had been in foreclosure but the bank manger, having known Charlie since grade school, could not bring himself to evict him. I made a deal with him and bought the home outright, planning on repairing it to honor Charlie's memory as well as that of his lost daughter. The renovations took little time and soon the house looked brand new, and made my chest ache from the memories that came flooding back of my love.

We all decided that staying in Forks was not an option and made our way to another home to try to move forward like we know they would have wanted. It took a great deal of time but I began writing and playing again. Alice and Jasper married (again) as did Rosalie and Emmett, and they moved a few miles away from the main house. Carlisle and Esme decided to sponsor a scholarship in Bella's name as a way to honor her memory. They felt it was something that Bella would have appreciated. They were giving someone else a chance at the future Bella never had. It was called the Isabella M. Cullen Scholarship. They felt that it was appropriate considering that she had been a part of our family if not in name, in every other way. It made me ache a little less knowing that she was being remembered not only by us but by people who had never met her. This was a way that she could life forever, as long as there was money in the fund, and there always would be.

So many memories minus Bella and yet she always seemed to be there in the back of my mind. She was the reason that I existed. So many lifetimes I had spent thinking, remembering, wishing and now she suddenly reappeared in my life. How could this be possible? Alice's vision had hit me like a bolt of lightening. Shocking my still, dead heart back to life. Was there a chance that she still lived? Some miracle that had brought her back to me? I knew it couldn't be real but I couldn't stop my heart from hoping. The vision was so brief, and yet it took my breath away. Merely a glimpse at her lovely face and I was reeling. Alice was trying to see more, and I was trying to make sense of the tiny bit she'd already seen. We had agreed not to tell the others aside from Jasper but I couldn't in good conscience exclude Carlisle from the knowledge. I knew that if anyone could make sense of this it was him. Our conversation had been lengthy and held mostly in his head with me only writing my responses when it required more than a nod of yes or no. He was elated and frightened at the same time.

He had been gone for nearly a month now taking with him only the sketches I had made of the man's face whom she was with. He was doing his own research in the places that we had idea to look. He had decided to go on his own, obviously telling Esme this early was not an option and leaving Alice alone could be a disaster so I stayed behind. I had heard nothing from him and was starting to get concerned. We had exhausted all means of research available to us and so for now we could only wait. I received a call from Alice shortly after 1 in the morning saying to pack light that we were heading to Forks immediately to meet Carlisle. I was tense from all the waiting but knowing that the answers were so close seemed to make the bands wind tighter. We loaded into out cars separately and made our way to our former home, and the place that held so much heartbreak for us all. I realized that I was driving toward my past and possibly my future, that for once there might be hope and I pressed my foot down harder on the accelerator. The lights of the passing city flew by me so fast I lost track of where I was but none of that mattered anymore. I could only hope as I sped through the night that Carlisle had the answers I so desperately needed.

*****Reviews are very much appreciated! They inspire me! So who should we hear from next? Hmmmm...feel free to guess!********


	12. Chapter 12

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"Preparation"

Chapter 11

*BPOV*

Both Amos and I knew that I wasn't completely ready for the impending reunion and agreed that taking some time to clear my head before was an excellent idea. I wasn't sure what could keep my mind off what we were going to do but Amos quickly found a way to keep me occupied. I had known very little of my ancestors and my abilities, it seems were only the very basic. He was willing to teach me everything that I didn't know and how to better control the things I did.

"_The witches were an amazing race. They were bred to protect. Now when I say protect, I do not mean just the humans, I mean all of us. That's why you are built the way you are. Your abilities are much more involved than you seem to realize. You have strength, speed, stealth, the ability to read minds, and alter perceptions but that is merely the wrapping. You know during Christmas when you get a present? Well obviously the first thing you do is admire the paper, the bows, and you consider the size. Then once you have discarded the paper…"_ He trailed off.

"_There is a box?"_ It was more of a question but I could never be sure with him. I had decided that reading his mind was unfair and had successfully stopped.

"_Good!"_ He very nearly shouted with a happy smile that I was playing along. _"And inside the box is the true gift. You have only seen the wrapping paper and bows my dear it is time for you to look deeper." _His smile was so sincere it seemed I would never get used to it.

"_Please help me then. I want to see what else there is and I want to understand."_ We both knew what I was doing but neither acknowledged it. He instead chose to continue with his story.

"_Now there are a number of powers that you possess and I can explain them to you and how they work…in theory seeing as I do not have them. The strength and stealth is obvious. The ability to read minds is only the beginning of that talent. You can get into someone's mind and alter memories, which I 'm sure you have found helpful in your "hunting". You can see their soul. You can see every memory, every thought that has ever passed through their mind. I'm sure you could even outwardly project those memories back to them." _He looked thoughtful though I could not see how this would be helpful, so I cleared my throat unnecessarily to remind him of the task at hand. _"Yes, where was I? Oh! Of course! The ability to sense evil. Now that isn't just with the vampires. That includes all races. As I've said before witches weren't just to protect humans, they were to protect us all from each other. Though I must admit that there are very few that are a direct threat to the vampires…"_ He trailed off again.

"_So what other races are there? I mean what am I going to be looking out for? I'd hate for the radar to go off and instead of finding a vamp run into a 30 ft alligator or something." _I was joking, partially. But he laughed all the same.

"_Well I am unaware of any of those, however there are obviously vampires, witches, werewolves, and shape shifters…all of which I have come into direct contact with. Now the werewolves and the shape shifters are often confused. Werewolves are volatile, vile creatures who enjoy killing indiscriminately. They need to feed to survive this is true however they do enjoy a good bloodbath. They do not work together well. A werewolf is just as likely to kill one of his own kind as he is a human or vampire who crosses his path. Now another good point, Werewolves do not breed. There are no female werewolves. They increase their numbers by "infecting" a human they bite. Only humans can be turned but this rarely happens as I've already stated, once they strike… is with the intention to kill. This is why their numbers are so low. They are definitely a danger to vampires, and anything else they come across. Then the Shape shifters, well most of them are members of tribes. It is believed that their ancestors made a deal to protect their people from us and they gained the ability to change forms. I have seen a tribe that shifted into eagles, one into wolves, and even one into mountain lions. Now these tribes are born into the shifting. It is ingrained in their DNA, and seeing as they only shift when necessary they are human for the most part with the ability to marry and have children as humans do. They heal much faster though and generally run in large groups. They are very organized and territorial but to my knowledge their only enemy remains the same. Vampires."_ Suddenly it hit me. Jake wasn't a werewolf. He was a shape shifter. That judgmental ass, and he didn't even know what he really was! Amos noticed the shift in my posture.

"_The "shape shifters" do they age as normal humans do?" _I asked through clenched teeth.

"_No they don't. They will actually stop aging. You see at a certain age they begin the change and from that moment on they are frozen in time until the chose to stop shifting. Then yes they will age as a human and eventually die." _

"_Uh huh." _That was my brilliant reply? _"So they __**are**__ a danger to vampires as well?" _I ask.

"_Well yes they are. They are extremely powerful creatures and they tend to run in packs. However we are quite lethal to them as well. Our "venom" is deadly to them, and even one bite will cause their entire system to shut down."_ He finished watching for me to speak again. I only nodded so he continued. _"Now as I've said before the vampires…well first off I've explained that we are capable of reproduction, but mainly our numbers are increased through the same basic type of "infection" the werewolves use. We have to bite a human, and yes once again humans are the only ones we can turn, and let the venom pump through their veins. It will slowly kill them from the inside out and turn them into one of us. It is a very scary and painful process and very few have the strength it would take to do so without killing the human completely. You see once we taste human blood it cause an automatic reaction and our instinct takes over. We are never completely sated. Even those who feed off humans on a regular basis, the satisfaction wears off quite quickly. So you see to turn a human is quite a task. Now don't get me wrong it has been done before. There was a time too many lifetimes ago when the south was at war with itself. There were a number of newborn armies created with the purpose of taking over. They never lasted too long however, newborns are much the same as werewolves in the aspect that they have the very basic understanding of this life and all they know is the need they have to feed. They caused a great deal of problems for us, but thankfully between the fact that they killed each other as frequently as they killed humans and with the help of the witches, they were taken care of quite effectively." _Amos straightened his back a bit as if he was uncomfortable. I couldn't help it and I giggled a bit at his "human" action. He quickly realized why I was laughing and joined in merely stating "_Old habits."_

"_But wait," _I asked him truly puzzled _"what did the witches have to do with the newborn armies? How were they effective?"_

He laughed _"Well child, first off, your "radar" as you call it. See with a proper shield one could hide the army, but not from you. You could sense them, see them, and their evil. Once we knew where they were we would use, once again, the witches veil, or the ability to be invisible, we could walk right up to them and as soon as we were within range, they could immobilize the army and use the fire to burn them up, while we would chase down any that got away. It was quite perfect."_ He smiled, it seemed to be a fond memory though I couldn't quite understand why. _"There have always been rogue vampires Isabella, but we aren't all bad. __**They **__gave us a bad name then my brother and his minions decide to capitalize on it by turning us into some campfire ghost story. Turning us all into blood thirsty beasts that were only out to slaughter the men and children and rape their women. It's quite disgusting actually." _He sighed and I could feel his displeasure at how his kind was portrayed. But hadn't I just recently categorized them all as monsters? I felt nauseous. In my heart I had always known that they weren't all evil, but the hurt I felt had turned me into a cynic like all the rest. I wrapped my arms around my legs and began rocking myself slowly. How could I have been so stupid? I knew that the monsters I killed were true monsters but, not them all. Had I ever even considered the idea that there was anything out there bad other than them? I tried to think but I couldn't remember a single thought that contained the word "evil" without the word "vampire". The pounding in my head was getting louder, I wasn't even sure when it had began but it was suddenly unbearable. I was shaking all over and my eyes were squeezed as tight as I could get them. The Cullens weren't monsters and yet… how could I? Suddenly I was pulled forcefully onto my feet.

"_Isabella please do not make me hurt you. Wake up please. Focus on me!" _I could hear Amos yelling but he sounded like he was standing at the end of a tunnel and I was a million miles away from him. Then I thought of Edward. His perfect smile, the butterscotch eyes, the tantalizing smell. Regardless of whether or not he loved me I had loved him and it was real… HE WAS REAL! The breath came back to me suddenly and I started to sob quietly as I sank into Amos's arms.

He lowered us both to the ground and held me while I wept. For my lost family, my lost love…for everything that seemed like it never existed.

"_Shhhh child I think you've heard enough for now. Lets get back to the cabin and we can continue this later." _I nodded numbly as he basically carried me back through the forest toward what I had come to call "home". All the thoughts swirling through my brain were painful, and yet I didn't want them to stop. I needed all the beautiful memories of the Cullens, Charlie, Mom and Phil. I needed to remember them. I had agreed to go back to Forks with Amos, I had even told myself that I would go but until this moment, I realized I had never planned to actually go through with it. I knew now that I had to. I needed to face it all. I needed to say goodbye to my father. I needed to speak to Edward and Alice…Oh my Alice! How I had missed her. Even Jake deserved an explanation for what I had done. I had abandoned him, my father, my friends, and my mother the same way that Edward had abandoned me. I was a fool. Amos laid me gently on the old mattress and walked quietly toward the door.

"_Wait."_ It was barely a whisper and yet he did, turning slightly to face me. _"I want to go back. I need to. Will you go with me please?"_ I felt like a child asking her father to check the closet for the boogey man. I almost expected him to laugh at me, but he didn't.

"_Yes, my Isabella I will. Always. As long as you need me I am here. Now rest and we will make our plans tomorrow." _With that he left the room and for the first time in ages I felt myself truly relax. I was going home.

******** I think the review button is broken...wanna try it out for me?;-) Next chapter coming soon!*******


	13. Chapter 13

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"Full Disclosure"

Chapter 12

*EPOV*

I was standing in the empty room that used to be our den waiting for Carlisle to return. He and Esme had gone to hunt as soon as we had all arrived. Alice and Jasper were sitting on the floor near the window overlooking the forest, simply holding one another. Rosalie and Emmett where upstairs doing things that I'm sure I didn't want to imagine. I was effectively blocking them out by focusing on the fact that as soon as Carlisle returned I would have the answers I so desperately needed. I was pacing quietly imagining all of the possible scenarios that could have brought my Bella back to me when Alice's vision hit me like a wrecking ball…

_Bella was sitting in the driver's seat of a black Escalade smiling at the same man I had seen with her before. She looked so happy. The wind was blowing her hair slightly and the sun was shining on her through what appeared to be a sun roof causing all the lovely red tones to sparkle like flames. Suddenly a sign out the passenger window caught my eye __**"Now Entering Forks"**__. She sighed "It's good to be home."..._

The vision ended and yet I kept seeing it over and over again. I looked at Alice who had risen to her feet and was bouncing in place, smiling like a psychopath.

"_She's coming!"_She squealed. I could only smile, but it was a huge stupid grin I know. I could imagine the pain I would be in were I a human smiling like a fool. Suddenly the back door opened bringing with it a gust of wind, Carlisle and Esme. They looked suspiciously between me and my hyperactive sibling before Carlisle's eyes finally settled on me and arched an eyebrow.

"_Something you would like to tell us?" _He asked looking almost afraid of the response. I looked towards Alice whose thoughts were begging me to let her tell with a repeated _please please please please _and nodded.

"_It's Bella! She's coming to Forks!" _She squealed again only louder, if that's possible. Emmett and Rosalie suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs mouths agape while our parents stood there stunned. However I was suddenly quite sure that Esme knew more than she let on as her only reaction was a sudden inhale of breath and her hand resting on her chest. Carlisle was the first to break the silence.

"_Well then it seems we have a lot to discuss, and how long do we have Alice dear?" _

"_Not long. Maybe a week." _She spoke so quickly she was breathless and **that **was quite a feat for a vampire. I smiled at my sister.

"_Well I suggest you all get comfortable so we can get this over with as quickly as possible." _He waited a half of a second and began. _"For those of you who are confused…" _He glanced at Rosalie and Emmett. _"Alice had a vision a while ago regarding Bella. Now this was not a flashback, it was an actual vision and no she was not a vampire. Yes I do realize you feel that Alice has been wrong in the past however I'm of the opinion that she wasn't exactly wrong, she was merely confused. I've been doing a lot of research as of late on possible explanations for Bella being alive after all these years and remaining human, and I have come up with only one conclusion though it sounds rather far fetched and impractical I need you all to bare with me. Now let me first address the vision that I know you are all thinking of where Alice said she saw Bella as one of us. I do not believe that in that vision she was truly a vampire as much as she was a part of our world. Maybe a little pale and maybe a little more "defined" but not a vampire. If I am correct I do recall either Alice or Edward commenting on the color of Bella's eyes in this vision, now would one of you please remind me?" _He looked pointedly at the both of us while we exchanged a confused look.

"_Black." _We said in unison, both of us knowing full well, as he did the color of her eyes in that fateful vision that caused such uproar in our quiet little family.

"_Just as I thought." _He stated smugly making me wonder why he asked._ "Now the impression I had was that Bella was a newborn in that vision which made no sense to me even then, why would she be so calm? Her eyes being black would mean what? That she was hungry and as we all know a hungry newborn is not calm. Now, using that information and the information from the latest vision I contacted an old friend of mine from Volterra, Allistar. You all must remember him. He now lives with Tonya and her sisters in Denali. It has been many years since I have seen him but we were quite close during our stay in Italy, and he left for the same reasons as I. Now, I showed Allistar the drawing that you did of Bella's companion."_ He glanced briefly at me while shuffling through a stack of papers sitting on the counter, how had I missed them earlier? He finally held up my drawing in his right hand and in the left he held up a very old painting of a man looking remarkably like the one I had seen. _"His name is Amos, and according to Allistar, he is none other than…"_ He hesitated briefly as he set my drawing to the side and used his now free hand to gently unfold the painting to reveal another very familiar face. _"The brother of Aro himself." _We all knew who Aro was. An evil bastard who cared only about his precious laws, and the people who enforced them. I felt the rumble start in my chest before I could stop myself. _"Calm down Edward." _His tone was clipped. He was reminding me mentally to wait until he finished. _"Now according to Allistar, Amos left the company of his brothers not long before he took over the reign of Volterra. Amos, it seems, was opposed to slaughtering humans. He actually believed that we were here to protect, not kill them. Apparently Aro did not share his brother's compassion or opinions and chose instead to banish him stating that Amos's disloyalty to his own kind made him unworthy of recognition in his court. Now all of this a matter of record. What is not in the records is that Amos preferred the company of Witches. From what I could find, prior to his presence in Volterra, little is known about Aro or his "brothers". I did however learn that the coven with which Amos associated himself was effectively annihilated soon after Aro's rise to power. In fact, they all were. The Witches' were quite peaceful beings whose only goal was to protect and preserve nondestructive life. They did not attack unless they were provoked, and from what I have found provoking them was quite a task. Now in all my research the last witch I could find was killed around two centuries ago. There have been none recorded since, however everything in me is convinced that they missed one somewhere. From everything that I have read or learned from my sources, a witch would look human. We would be able to notice certain differences, but she would be able to blend into human society without a problem. She would be immortal, physically unchanging, as we are. Yet with the ability that she has, be capable of confusing the humans with a "glamour" of sorts to make them see what she wants therefore never having to leave for fear of exposure. Now the "glamour" would explain why Alice never saw her death, but saw clearly Charlie's memory of it. A witch "ascends" into power around the age of 18, and she was barely that the last time we saw her. Bella always felt comfortable and safe in our presence, we always found it odd, and yet now it makes sense. She __was__ "one of us" just not as we expected. Even the danger magnet, I mean think about it! Bella was a threat to them. James and Victoria were both evil and she knew it. Somewhere inside them they must have felt that and wanted to kill her while they still had the chance. Witches are protectors by nature, they sense evil and destroy it when necessary. That's what they do. Think about Bella does she not fit the description perfectly?" _By the end of his rant Carlisle was wound tighter than Alice the day before "Black Friday". His eyes sparkling with excitement. He was very proud that he had solved the riddle and yet I couldn't help but wonder what this meant for me.

I took a moment to look at my family as Carlisle continued his explanations on why this had to be true. There was no doubt that we all believed him but how did we feel about it? Jasper seemed too lost in the memory of some battle back in his newborn days. Alice was thinking about how excited she was that her sister would be back forever. Emmett was wondering just how strong a witch could be. Rosalie was cursing herself for being so harsh with Bella, and hoping that she would get a chance to redeem herself. Last of all was Esme. When I glanced at her I was shocked to see that she was staring directly at me and had been for some time. _Are you paying attention now Edward?_ I nodded ever so slightly as to avoid giving away our silent conversation, but she recognized it. _Now I love you and you know that. But Isabella is coming here, she is coming home and if you do anything to hurt her again so help me I will rip you limb from limb with my bare hands do you understand me? _I was shocked but managed to acknowledge her…advice? _Now with that being said I assume that you know what this means? She is one of us. Immortal. You cannot be afraid to hurt her…__**physically**__. _I was aware what she meant without that little growl. I frowned. _You cannot treat her like a child anymore son. You must treat her like an equal. Love her and let her love you if she is willing. Please. You are being given a second chance at happiness, do not take it for granted. Please Edward. _

I nodded again and gave a faint smile. I then turned away from the conversation, I had no desire to listen to Emmett question whether or not Carlisle thought Bella could "**take him**". Besides I had more important things to think about.

There were definite advantages to this new theory, if it were true. Of course it made sense, and I wasn't fool enough to actually doubt him but I was reluctant to let my heart get too wrapped up in all the possibilities were Bella an immortal. I was not arrogant enough to assume that Bella being alive meant that Bella was going to come back to me. I could allow myself to hope a little though, right? I had, after all, broken her heart and lied to her. Not only that, dear god! When I walked away taking my family with me, I had effectively left her there to go through all of this alone. The mistakes just kept adding up, I mean had I done anything right by this girl? All those years that we could have spent together, learning together, loving each other and I had thrown them away simply because I thought I knew what was best for her.

I could hear my family reaching out to me, their voices echoing in my mind but I didn't have the strength to listen anymore. I needed a moment to compose myself, to think all of this through before they all started throwing their suggestions at me, so I ran. I soon found myself in the meadow. Our meadow. I sat on the damp earth and closed my eyes reliving the vivid images of that perfect day. How warm her skin had felt on mine. It was so many years ago. I would not give up again. This was my chance to make things right, or as right as they could be considering the circumstances. I had to focus. I had gone over all my mistakes more times then I could count and I could not allow myself to repeat any of them. There were three things on which I had to focus:

1. Bella was alive and she was coming here.

2. I loved and needed her more than anything in this world.

3. I had to convince her to give me a second chance.

There is no margin for error. If I fail again, I know I will lose everything. The fact remains that Bella is my life and I have less than a week to come up with a way to convince her of this, or I could lose her again and this time it would be forever.

*****REVIEWS ARE LOVELY!*****


	14. Chapter 14

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"Coming Home"

Chapter 13

*BPOV*

I was nervous beyond anything I thought possible. If I could throw up….wait…**could** I throw up? Oh sweet Jesus! Please tell me that I can't throw up, that is all I need, to walk into their home for the first time in decades and puke all over their expensive carpets. Stupid nerves.

Amos, however, seemed rather comfortable seeing as this was his first trip into the "real world" as he called in quite some time. He had seemed a bit sad, at first, to leave the quiet little cabin but that quickly turned to excitement as we loaded our shopping bags into the back of the new Cadillac Escalade I had just purchased. It was a bit flashier than anything I had owned before but I found I really liked it. It was a glossy black with ultra dark tinting on the windows for privacy, third row seating, GPS, a Bose 5.1 Cabin surround sound system, and the clincher? A sunroof! It was unbelievably comfortable to drive, and it was big enough that I felt very safe in it. Now with all the shopping complete we were on our way. I found that as soon as I focused on Alice, the GPS was unnecessary. It was like I was being pulled toward her.

"Why doesn't it hurt? I mean before even with you there was pain." Though I kept my eyes trained on the road I knew he was watching me.

"Well, I suppose that's because it's in your nature. The pain was your subconscious way of shocking you into action. You spent a great deal of time denying your instincts, and now that you have begun to embrace your true nature everything will seem much easier."

His smile was kind as always but I could sense there was something he hadn't said.

"Amos please whatever it is I need you to just say it. I need you to be honest with me. I have spent a lifetime keep secrets from people, about people and I **do not** want it to be that way with us." His eyes closed as he leaned back further into the seat and exhaled.

"I was just thinking about Julia. You do look so much like her and sometimes it's a little difficult to handle. I can't help but wonder how different my life would have been had she been by my side. I doubt Samantha would have left. The day I lost her was the day that everything fell apart." He visibly relaxed as soon as the last word left his mouth but didn't open his eyes. I knew there was nothing that I could say, that my listening had been all he really needed and at that I decided to just let myself enjoy the scenery.

The miles were passing quickly the scenery had become but a blur, when I felt this trememdous pain in my head. The throbbing caused my vision to blur as I yanked the SUV to the shoulder as safely as I could at these speeds. Amos jerked towards me quickly. I could tell his mouth was moving though I could not truly see him. The roaring in my ears was unbearable, I reached my hands up trying to cover them but it did no good. Suddenly a face appeared in my mind. The man reminded me of Amos and yet he was nothing like him. He was cold and cruel. It was like I was watching a movie.

"_Please stop!" A blonde vampire screamed. She was standing in the center of an odd round room with high ceilings. The only windows were at the very top, and they let in very little light. There was the vague form of a young woman curled into a tight ball to her right. Suddenly she let out a bloodcurdling scream that seemed to last forever. There were three men before them sitting on ancient thrones all three scowling at her as if the fact that she dared address them was offensive in itself. _

"_My family is of no threat to you Aro. I swear! We will not get any larger I assure you. Please let my family go!" She pleaded having to nearly yell at him over the agonized screams coming from the woman on the floor. The man in the middle who she called Aro stood and began approaching her slowly. _

"_Jane." The monster spoke gently his eyes deep red. Suddenly the screaming stopped and the vampire stood slowly and unsteadily made her way toward the blonde. _

"_Now," the monster spoke, his voice making my head ache even more "Tanya my dear child I do not **want** to hurt you or your family. You must realize this." He smiled sweetly. "However there are things that you have been keeping from us. I think its time that you tell me everything." He stuck his hand out as if in offering but I got the distinct impression that there was no room for refusal. She raised her hand shaking slightly and placed it into his upturned palm. He grasped it quickly and pulled her towards him. He gasped suddenly and yanked away from her._

"_Take them away now!" He roared at the cloaked figures standing at her back. _

_He stalked towards his seat the anger radiating from him. _

"_Carlisle Cullen." He hissed. _

_The man sitting to his left raised an eyebrow at him. _

"_Are they strong?" He asked seemingly unfazed by his outburst._

"_Yes and they will be mine, or they will die." _

I couldn't breathe. What did it mean? That name, Aro, seemed so familiar. Suddenly I realized Amos was still beside me he looked pale and frightened. What was going on?

"Amos…" My voice came out a whisper and he raised his hand to stop me.

"I saw." His words made no sense.

"What do you mean you saw?" I asked him feeling myself start to panic.

"You…you projected it Bella. I saw the whole thing. That was my brother Aro and his court. The woman you saw, I'm not sure who she was or why she was being punished but I'm afraid none of that matters because I am quite sure she is dead, or soon will be." He paused and reached his hand across to grasp mine. "Whoever this Carlisle is, he must have something that Aro wants very badly. I'm afraid we will have to continue this trip later Bella." Even with my eyes closed I could feel him staring at me.

"No." I whispered. It was all I could say, I knew I needed to explain but the words wouldn't come out.

"Bella you do not understand. My brother will stop at nothing when there is something that he wants. He will not hesitate to kill this man if he attempts to stand in his way." He was trying to be patient, but so was I.

"No Amos.." but he cut me off.

"Isabella you have to listen to me. Aro **will** destroy him!" He yelled at me.

"AMOS! **You** don't understand. We do not have to find him because I know where he is. **Exactly** where he is and that is where we are going. Don't you remember? Forks? It's the home of my former love Edward. Edward Cullen. Carlisle is his father." My hands had slipped away from Amos and were now gripping the steering wheel with enough force I was afraid it would break.

I couldn't look bring myself to look at him, I could feel the pain and sorrow radiating off him. I heard him open his mouth to speak and raised my hand to silence him. He didn't argue. I put the car in drive, pressed my foot down as hard as I could on the accelerator, and prayed that I wasn't too late.

*EPOV*

"Something has changed." Alice's voice held a note of panic. I was the first to make it to her side.

"What do you mean something has changed? Is Bella not coming? What happened Alice?" I was trying to pry the vision from her head but all I could find was one similar to the one before. The sun still shone down on her, but there was no smile. The Forks sign was there was well but there were no happy words to complete the scene.


	15. Chapter 15

***DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING "TWILIGHT" BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYER.***

"Too Long"

Chapter 14

*BPOV*

The drive continued in silence as I tried to process everything that had been thrown at me in that horrible vision. What if I WAS too late? What then? What the hell did that Aro guy mean by "_they will be mine"_? My head spun as I replayed it over and over trying to make any of it make sense.

"Stop it." Amos's voice starlted me from my reverie.

"Stop what?" I snapped.

"You know exactly what Im talking about Isabella. Now stop. We dont know what HAS happened or what WILL happen however we do know what COULD happen and we should focus on how to either avoid this happening or how to handle it when or if it does."

His voice held a tone of authority laced with disapproval that I recognized from my human life and I instantly regretted the childish way I had acted. This man was my friend, my family, he was all that I had left in this world. Obviously, I knew that he only had my best interest at heart but I was so terrified of facing what was happening that I had lashed out at him, acting like nothing more than a petulant child.

"I'm so sorry Amos. Of course I know what you mean, Im just" I hesitated trying to cipher through of all the emotions and choose the one that best expressed how I was feeling "afraid, for lack of better term. These are the people that I lived for. The ones that I loved. They left me broken and barely alive, and now after all these years Im finally ready to face them, all the while praying that I don't somehow regress to that stumbling, bumbling, pathetic mess of a child I was the last time I saw them and and and" I stuttered angrily "...and on top of ALL that there is some psycho vampire king who apparently has decided that the Cullens are the shiney new toy that he just HAS to have. I mean REALLY? How the hell am I supposed to protect them Amos? What if Im not strong enough?" My rant, that had started strong and forceful, ended in a pitiful whimper.

"Isabella."

I waited for him to continue and when he didn't I glanced nervously in his direction.

"Thank you." He smiled warmly. "Now the first thing that you need to remember is that you are stronger that ANY vampire out there. You hold within you the power of and entire coven! You arent a child anymore, you are a strong, confident woman now, act like it." He nudged my elbow gently and I couldnt help but smile. "Now the blonde vampire... do you know who she was?" He was all buisness now.

"No. I havent ever seen her. Wait..." My mind began to wander back to the old days, back to the memories I had so tightly locked away for so many years. I tried to stop it but the flood gates were opened and they began to flow freely through me. I gasped at the sudden onslaught of images but allowed them to continue knowing there was something in there i needed.

"_Edward? Why is it that you and your family choose to abstain, that it seems so easy for you all and yet others don't even try?"_

_"I don't know." He shook his head sadly."Unfortunetly, most vampires see humans as either play things or dinner. They are happy with the way things are and dont see any reason to change it." He cringed noticably as he said the word dinner. _

_"Oh." Nice verbal skills there Bella. I scolded myself as I tried to think of a way to help him feel better. _

_"Tanya!" He exclaimed, standing so suddenly he knocked me off the rock I was so precariously perched on._

_"I'm sorry?" I stammered as I tried to gracefully pick myself up without getting anymore mud on my now ruined jeans._

_"OH!" He seemed to suddenly notice my predicament. "Im sorry love! I just meant we do know others like us. Tanya and her sisters. They live in Denali. The are considered a coven, there are 5 of them as well, but they are more of a family as we are. She once said that she thought the reason why we could so easily adapt to our "vegetarian" lifestyle was our bond. As a family we shared an intense bond that grounds us and keeps us strong."_

I shook myself as the memory seemed to fade.

"Tanya." I stated.

"I dont understand." Amos looked at me curiously.

"She and her "family" live in Denali... or they did atleast." I cringed thinking about the pain they would suffer at the hands of that monster. "They were friends of the Cullens. They adopted the same diet, and lived by the same rules as you and the Cullens do as well. I remember Edward telling me there were 5 of them, and that there werent many covens that large that existed anymore except for the coven in Volterra..." I trailed off suddenly as the realization hit me.

"Isabella...did any of the Cullens have "gifts"?" Amos all but whispered.

"Yes." I couldn't breathe. "Amos he's trying to build his own army isnt he? Collecting those who will make him stronger, and destroying those who oppose or refuse him."

"I'm afraid so." His voice was raw. "Isabella we CANNOT let him succeed."

"He won't." As soon as I said the words, I knew they were true. I would not let this animal destroy those that I loved. I felt Amos's hand on my arm squeeze slightly and I knew that I wasnt alone. I knew that we could do this.

As I passed that familiar sign welcoming me to my old home town, I took a breath and prepared myself for onslaught of memories brought on by the familiar sights, sounds, and smells surrounding me. The diner where Charlie always had his peach cobbler, the school, the dry cleaner, the salon, they were all gone. Replaced by bigger and better. My heart broke a little as I drove through the town I had known so well and headed toward my past.

"You can do this." Amos reassured me as I turned onto that familiar dirt path that led to the house that had been a home to me so many lifetimes ago.

I could smell them as soon as I turned. They were ALL here. I had no doubt, were I still human, my heart would be pounding, and my hands would be equal parts shaking and sweating. I wasnt human though, i needed to remember that. I could hear someone running alongside the car just inside the forest, I knew it was Jasper but didnt want to alert him so when Amos raised an eyebrow at me silently asking, I merely shook my head. As soon as the house came into view, my chest tightened. I had missed this place. It was just as i remembered. I turned off the ignition and reached for the handle.

"They know we're here." It wasnt a question but I felt the need to answer anyway.

"Yes." Suddenly it was my turn to squeeze his hand reassuringly. He smiled back at me as we both exited the car. I stood for a moment taking everything in. The smells, the sights, the sounds. How had i missed all this before? It was truely breathtaking!

"Bella?" I was brought from my musing by an all too familiar voice. I laughed softly to myself as I turned toward him.

"Well Hello Dr. Cullen." He stoof stock still as he waited for my reaction to seeing him. Had this been any other day, I probably would have enjoyed the control I seemed to have at the moment but today I merely felt relief at the fact that they were still ok. I smiled at him as I approached slowly. He did not hesitate one I was within reach, though, and I found myself wrapped in a comforting hug that I returned eagerly. But, I knew that he wanted to know who Amos was, and I knew he needed to know about Aro so I reluctantly stepped away from him and spoke as clearly as I could.

"Carlisle. We need to talk."


End file.
